ORLANDO, FL, June 12, 2014 — A brand-new Lasers for Manufacturing Summit to be held Sept. 22 by the Laser Institute of America will bring together C-suite and other top executives who want to hear first-hand expert intelligence on how to use these powerful tools most profitably in a variety of high-value manufacturing applications.
The Lasers for Manufacturing Summit will precede the fourth-annual Lasers for Manufacturing Event® (LME®) on Sept. 23-24 in Schaumburg, IL. Featuring in-depth presentations covering laser manufacturing, additive manufacturing/3D printing and ultrafast lasers, the summit promises a wealth of front-line information tailored to key decision-makers seeking to maximize profits by streamlining manufacturing with lasers.
LIA Past President David Belforte, editor-in-chief of Industrial Laser Solutions magazine and a guru of laser markets around the world, will moderate a special forum featuring panelists from high-profile companies that are manufacturing with lasers. Representatives from top-tier firms will detail how they exploit the power of lasers in the automotive, aerospace, agriculture and other industries.
Belforte’s keynote presentations have become a standing-room-only staple at LME’s Laser Technology Showcase. His exhaustive research on the most lucrative laser markets in industries around the world is a window into the ever-growing opportunities for building business with photonic technology.
For instance, at the second LME in 2012, he enthused that “there are 5,000 narrow-body jets being planned over the next 20 years to be built here in the United States.” Lasers are used to craft components throughout contemporary aircraft, from brackets and door hinges up to turbine engine components and fuel swirlers. The increasingly intricate maneuvers lasers can perform often allow for redesigned parts that can dramatically reduce weight — up to 50 percent or more — by using less material and hence boosting energy efficiency.
In terms of turbine engines, Belforte noted that each of those 5,000 new jets will require two engines. “Every one of those engines has got millions of holes drilled in it,” he said. “There are 1,100 companies in the United States involved in the aircraft turbine engine business; many are using industrial lasers.”
Meanwhile, the medical sector “kept us alive through the recession,” Belforte said, noting an $11.5 billion market for catheters in the US. “Most use lasers for assembly,” including marking, drilling and welding balloons onto the catheter.
The summit is intended to help executives “conquer their competition, their challenges and their fears,” says LIA Executive Director Peter Baker. After this intensive workshop, executives will be armed with knowledge on how to use laser technology for key applications and how to build business with that technology.
The Lasers for Manufacturing Summit is tailored specifically for presidents, CEOs, COOs, chief technology officers, R&D managers, business development directors, technology analysts and sales and marketing executives. Visit www.lia.org/lasersummit for updates and more information.
About LIA
The Laser Institute of America (LIA) is the professional society for laser applications and safety serving the industrial, educational, medical, research and government communities throughout the world since 1968. www.lia.org, 13501 Ingenuity Drive, Ste 128, Orlando, FL 32826, +1.407.380.1553.
###